Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Eleven

Xaoto held Tanden's interest for about half of the week, then the promise of a river adventure became all he could think about. He took every opportunity he could to practice Alvarian. Selling off some of their cargo and buying new things to trade, visiting taverns and the busy marketplace. Immersing himself in a language always sped up his learning.

A week after her last visit, Elorie arrived at the top of their gangway, a bag slung over her shoulder. From that moment, everything moved quickly. Tanden worked out a contract with her, and extended Rico's. They finished up their ongoing trading deals, and were ready to leave the next morning.

Tanden, despite Soren's grumbling, climbed up onto the bulwark that morning. He knew he made an impressive sight, backlit by the rising sun, light blue tunic billowing with a good sailing wind. He tangled one hand in the shrouds to help himself balance, and held the other out dramatically.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He said loudly, cutting off all the little side conversations going on between his crew. "I know the information has been echoing around for a few days now, but let me officially describe our next adventure. With the help of our guest, Elorie-Eko—" He paused to gesture at her, as if anyone on the ship wouldn't know who he was talking about. "We will be traveling through Alvara, on a large river that runs straight through the other side of the country, into Alvan Bay. Along the way, we will visit cities and towns, including a trip to a set of ancient pyramids." His eyes found Jerios in the crowd. "It'll be fascinating to see how Alvarian pyramids differ from Deorun's spectacular monuments."

Jerios and the other Deoran sailors called out agreements, understandably proud of their country's quartet of pyramids.

"Upon reaching Alvan Bay, we'll decide on the best way to return to this side of Alvara, and begin the journey back up the coast. But until then, I urge everyone to remember that sailing on a river isn't the same as it is out here. By now we have plenty of experience on rivers, the Nir and the Navi, but neither are anywhere as long as this..." he paused, looking at Elorie.

"The Danil," she said.

"The Danil River," Tanden announced. "So we start this newest length of our journey, heading south along the coast until we meet with the Danil River. Let's get our Lady Wanderlust moving, lads!"

He waited until the crew was moving before subtly waving Soren over.

"You need help getting down?" Soren guessed, stopping in front of Tanden.

"Don't make it a scene," Tanden grumbled.

Soren barely stifled a laugh, shaking his head as he stepped closer and offered Tanden his hand.

***

The crew loved port visits, especially after long stretches without proper leave. But the beginning of a new journey always put everyone in high spirits. As they sailed down the coast, the crew worked hard. Occasionally one of the men would start a sea shanty, and others would join in. Mostly they were in Teltish, as Crelans were known for having an endless supply of shanties. But sometimes the Deorans and Navirians would sing, and Soren loved those moments. He didn't need to know the language to understand the feelings behind the songs. He loved the comradeship brought about by sailing. No matter what culture they came from, sailors loved the ocean in the same way.

Tanden still couldn't move around the ship quickly or climb the rigging, but he was once again part of the running of the ship, standing at the helm. Sometimes Rico and Elorie would be nearby, talking in Alvarian, but more often his attention was on the task at hand. He could stand most of the day without his foot bothering him too much.

At least, it didn't bother him enough that he felt the need to complain about it. Given Tanden's tendency to be dramatic, Soren guessed that his lack of complaining truly meant it was feeling better, and not because Tanden was trying to hide the pain.